Every six months or so we box up our saved corks and ship them to friends in New Orleans, Louisiana. Or more precisely, we ship them to their parrots, Maria and Big Guy. They love to gnosh corks. More photos here.
This week's box held the cork from the Snow Farm Vineyards Leon Millot we opened last October. Maria picked it out and made it hers. It's no surprise, since she's spent many happy hours vacationing with her people right here in Vermont. A parrot with exquisite taste.
I love this post almost as much as Maria and Big Guy love the corks! R (who just flew home early Tuesday from a wonderful, food*, art** and music-centric*** and action packed**** 5-day visit with us) will also get a kick out of it. Although the parrots’ vocalizations drive her crazy, Maria nevertheless remains heads-over-heels for R. At the slightest sign of attention from R, Maria dilates her eyes until they are almost completely yellow with excitement and, in the ultimate sign of birdie ardor, enthusiastically regurgitates to her. Sadly, her affections are unrequited. Poor Maria.
* Since R only visits here once a year, we made sure she had plenty of opportunities to enjoy various types of local seafood. Thursday we shucked and slurped all-we-could-eat raw oysters accompanied by a Tarantas Cava. Friday we stir-fried 3 pounds of “they spent the night in the bay” jumbo Louisiana Brown Shrimp, ginger, garlic, carrots, locally grown bok choy, and oodles of snowpeas from Tom’s garden. Saturday we feasted on pan-fried soft-shelled crabs (still moving when we cleaned them), yet more shrimp, and a 2005 Novelty Hill Roussanne. Sunday, we reveled in left-over shrimp stir fry. Monday, having sampled crawfish at several venues about town last Thursday, we purchased 15 pounds from “Today’s Ketch” in Chalmette and spent a lovely evening savoring their spicy sweetness with a creamy Chemay and crisp Abita Ambers). And then there was the oh, oh, oh, oh, slow-roasted duck po-boys from Crabby Jacks, loads of homegrown greens, pints of fragrant Louisiana strawberries, breakfast in the swing under the oak and dinners outside in the soft evening air. Hard to believe that people consider swearing off meat a Lenten “sacrifice.” We think a trek south is long overdue for you two foodies—After all, we’ve only lived here 20 years now!
**The latest exhibit at the Walter Anderson Museum in Ocean Springs: Ecstasy—The Mystical Landscapes of Walter Anderson
***Ann Savoy & Her Sleepless Knights, the Some Like it Hot Jazz Band and our favorite, the Palmetto Bug Stompers (Palmetto Bugs are the local gigantic cockroaches), a Greater New Orleans Youth Orchestra Concert, and intermittent cello practicing and violin lessons.
****A balmy evening along the river front in the French Quarter, ferry rides across the mighty Mississippi, a late afternoon/early evening on Frenchmen Street, a field trip to the Insectarium’s rearing facility with my Animal Behavior class (We got to hold Malaysian Cave Cockroaches and gigantic millipedes, among other multi-legged exotic critters), etc. etc.